Skip to main content

Tim Cook proves it’s the photographer, not the camera, that takes awesome pictures

Tim Cook
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The camera on the back of your smartphone is probably pretty good, but in the hands of someone who can’t take a decent picture — either due to circumstances or lack of talent — it’s no better than the 1-megapixel cams seen on a feature phone. This was proven by none other than Apple CEO Tim Cook, who in the ecstatic aftermath of the Super Bowl, snapped and posted a picture of the celebrations to Twitter. Unfortunately, it wasn’t one of his best attempts.

Taken on the field, the shot is blurry and out of focus, and outside of it being clear Cook’s on a football field with some other people, not exactly a compositional masterpiece. Due to Tim Cook’s job, we’ll have to assume it was taken with an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus, which is widely regarded as having one of the best cameras in the business on the back.

Apple knows this, and highlights many of the astonishing shots taken with the phone on a special website, showing what can be done with an iPhone. However, the iPhone needs to be in the right set of hands to take a great picture. At the Super Bowl, unless it was your job to take amazing pictures, there probably wasn’t a steady hand in the stadium, whether your chosen team won or lost. Surely that would mean the odd blurry shot would be forgiven?

Seemingly in a celebratory mood, Tim Cook made the mistake of posting the picture on Twitter, and while it was met with some happy replies related to the game, the majority came dripping with derision as they concentrated on Cook’s photographic skills. Comments ranged from questions over whether the photo was taken with the rumored Apple Watch 2 or an iPhone 7, recommendations to buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 or an LG G4, assumptions Cook was drunk at the time, and many uses of the #iPhoneFail hashtag.

Will Tim Cook feel the need to redeem himself by posting a shot worthy of inclusion in one of Apple’s own marketing campaigns? Probably not, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the picture makes an amusing cameo appearance during a future Apple presentation, given the attention it has received. In the meantime, the Internet can get on with posting the masses of faultless pictures it takes everyday.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
The iPhone 16 could wow us with a surprise camera upgrade
Close-up of the cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

It seems Apple is finally ready to play the megapixels game. After serving 12-megapixel camera arrays on its smartphones for a healthy few generations, Apple finally put a 48MP sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro pair. A year later, the entire iPhone 15 series got the same treatment.

According to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, that momentum will continue with the iPhone 16 series. In an investor note, Kuo claims that the iPhone 16 Pro duo will get a new 48MP ultrawide-angle camera sensor — a big jump from the 12MP wide-angle snapper on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro.

Read more
The iPhone 15 Pro has a killer camera feature you’ll never use
Shooting Apple ProRES Log video on iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Over the past few years, Apple has been leaning more into pushing the pricey “Pro” iPhones as a creative person’s best friend. Some of the marketing claims don’t sound that outlandish. For example, Cinematic Mode really blew my mind, as long as I had stable hands or a gimbal at my disposal.

With the iPhone 15 Pro pair, Apple introduced the ability to capture videos in Log format. Log takes a mathematical approach to video capture and editing. But to draw a rough parallel, Log capture is to video what RAW format is to a photo.

Read more
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra may steal this iPhone 15 camera feature
An alleged photo of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is one of the most anticipated smartphone launches of the coming year. As we approach the likely launch date, more rumors and leaks about the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra have surfaced. The latest comes from leaker Ahmed Qwaider on X, formerly Twitter.

This new rumor suggests that Samsung has taken inspiration from the iPhone 15 series and will feature a 24MP default camera resolution on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. This is a significant upgrade from the current Galaxy S23 Ultra, which has a default camera resolution of 12MP.

Read more